


bright and brighter

by iinfiniteskies



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, M/M, PINING KEITH, klangst, shiro is just for a lil bit lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-23
Updated: 2017-01-23
Packaged: 2018-09-19 09:30:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9432887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iinfiniteskies/pseuds/iinfiniteskies
Summary: Maybe Keith was dreaming, but he reached his hand to grasp Lance's anyway.





	

Being a part of Voltron was a weird feeling, like being a part of something much bigger than yourself. A feeling of constant self-sacrifice, like nothing personal mattered as long as the Galra were still exacting their tyranny on the universe. It was a feeling of being both incredibly important and the most insignificant thing in all the stars.

Keith was never really good with self-sacrifice.

“Guess I really wasn’t supposed to go through that door.”

Keith grunted, gripping his shoulder tightly as he walked into the room. A dizzy ache was spreading from his stomach as the room spun around him. The purple light was making him even more nauseous than he already was - 

He let himself collapse onto the cold metal, his shoulder feeling like it was being stabbed with a million sharp knives. He wondered if he was actually going to survive as his vision blurred and the room drifted cloudily out of focus.

“Keith?”

Keith’s eyes opened slowly. He blinked a few times in an effort to focus on the person crouching in front of him. Was it -

“Hey, you did it.” Lance’s wide blue eyes stared at him, his hand extended for Keith to grab.

“Lance?” Keith squinted. Maybe he was dreaming, but he reached his hand to grasp Lance’s anyway. He stood up slowly, letting his hand hold Lance’s for a split second longer before dropping it.

“You were amazing.” Lance’s grin was big and admiring, but it quickly slipped off his face into a look of concern as he took in Keith’s injury.

The silence stretched between them. Keith didn’t know how Lance got in here, why he of all the paladins was talking with him instead of Shiro or Hunk or anyone who wasn’t a self-proclaimed rival - which Keith had never really thought was true but it was fun, and it was a game, and it was -

Lance’s hand gripped his good arm. Keith realized he’d been beginning to list to one side. He also realized that Lance’s hand was warm even though the room was so cold and leaned into his touch.

\- it was so much more than that.

“Keith -” Lance was talking now and Keith attempted to focus on his face, “- you don’t have to keep doing this.” He tried to ignore how Lance’s hand was still holding his arm, staring at him in earnest, standing really, really close.

“I - I can’t, Lance, I have to know.” Keith pulled away a little bit, gripping the handle of his knife, “Don’t you understand?” A desperate kind of rage rushed through him, “God - you don’t, do you? You’ve got your perfect family back on Earth to go home to. Isn’t that so great for you.”

Lance lurched back as if he’d been shot.

“I have nothing to return to, Lance, nothing. I know nothing about who I am, who my family is, and now I’m so close to knowing and you want me to stop?” Keith wanted to scream so loud people ten galaxies away could hear him.

Shiro watched this play out on the monitor in front of him, “Is this a hologram? How is Lance there?”

“His suit can project a virtual mindscape; it projects his greatest hopes and fears - and now, it’s showing him what he most desperately wants to see. I suppose right now he wants to see his Lance.”

Lance’s face was twisted angrily, “What is it with you and that stupid knife? You don’t need to know your old family! You have me - you have all of us now. Just give it up so we can go back to the castle.”

“It’s the only connection I have to my past - I want to know who I am.” Keith tried not to focus on the _you have me_. Because he didn’t. Not the way he wanted to.

Lance stepped towards him again, “But you know who you are - you’re a paladin of Voltron. We’re happy.”

Keith jerked in surprise.

Lance took Keith’s hand, “Come on, Keith. Let’s go home.” He smiled softly at Keith.

Keith felt like he had just been pushed off a cliff and was falling down an an unreasonable speed, heart in his throat and stomach dropping to his feet. He had no idea what the hell Lance was doing or what was going on anymore. He was totally and completely sure this was some kind of dream, because in what kind of real life situation would Lance smile at him the way he was now, and hold his hand like he was now, and stand so goddamn close like he was now.

Keith took a deep breath, “Lance, you know I -” _I love you_ , he wanted to say, because this was a dream and nothing could go wrong in dreams, and these words were wrapping around his chest like twisting vines, and he felt himself being dragged down deep into somewhere because what was the point of this dream but to torture him, “ - I have to do this.”

“No, you don’t.”

“Yes, I do!”

“Just give them the fucking knife, Keith!” Lance growled, a dark look clouding his face, “You’re just being your typical selfish self, as usual.”

Keith drew back, “Well, fuck you too, Lance. I’ve. Made. My. Choice.”

“Then you’re going to be alone, Keith. I hope you’re happy with what you’ve done.” Lance hissed, turning around to walk away.

Keith stood there with his knife gripped tightly in his hand. His knife, his stupid knife - had just probably cost him his friendship with Lance. He felt sick and awful, watching Lance walk away and not being able to do a single goddamn thing about it. 

Keith though he might cry. He threw his dagger on the ground.

“Lance!”

Nothing.

“ _Lance!_ ”

He kept walking. Keith squinted against the bright light haloing Lance as he walked. Brighter and brighter until tears dripped down his cheeks and his eyes burned and ached. 

Brighter and brighter, until everything went dark.

**Author's Note:**

> hhoo-BOY this is my third try posting this. archive wyd  
> scream about season 2 with me on tumblr @ iinfiniteskies !!


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